Women who eat a vegetarian diet and have heavy periods may experience anemia due to a lack of iron. This is stated by Associate Professor Hans Verhoef of Wageningen University. It results in fatigue, dizziness and shortness of breath. “In extreme cases, it can even have fatal consequences for pregnant women.”
Many people use a diet with less or no meat. This also has consequences for health. “Vegetarians eat more grain products and substances in them inhibit the absorption of iron in the body. They get less iron through the diet and what comes in from plant sources is not absorbed well by the body.
The fact that iron deficiency mainly affects women has to do with menstruation. A woman then loses an average of 40 milliliters of blood in a few days. But for some women this increases to 200 milliliters. Doctors and researchers know that many women in Europe and also in the Netherlands have an iron deficiency. But the exact numbers involved are unknown.
In the Netherlands, the micronutrient content of the population is not systematically measured. A population survey could provide insight into this. There is also little attention to menstruation and how heavily women menstruate. The RIVM does conduct research into the intake of micronutrients, but according to Verhoef, this says too little about possible shortages. He advocates regular measurements among Dutch people.
Anemia is determined during pregnancies, because blood also goes to the baby and placenta during that period, and mothers therefore have a greater risk of anemia. Doctors measure iron levels in the first trimester and just before delivery. Verhoef thinks this is inadequate because many women have hardly any iron stores at the start of pregnancy.
The scientist advocates more cooperation with general practitioners, obstetricians, gynecologists and nutritionists.
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2023-10-16 12:08:18
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